NEW DELHI, Sep 23: The controversial Nepalese school text book with revised political map of the country showing thee strategically-important Indian territories as its own, has been suspended from distribution, according to Nepalese media reports.
Nepal did not assign any reason for the suspension except to say that there were “several factual errors in it.” It also did not say the fate of the text book.
The new textbook “Nepalko Bhubhaag Ra Seemasambandhi Swadhyay Samagri” (Nepal’s territory and reading materials for border issues) meant for students of class 9th -12th incorporating revised political map showing three Indian areas, Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh, Kalapani, as part of its territory.
Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel on September 15 had released the 110-page book dwelling around historical facts about Nepal’s territory and its border dispute mainly with India. Nepal cabinet in May had approved the new political and administrative map of the country staking claim over the three strategically important, areas in Uttarakhand, more than six months after India published a new map in November, 2019.
A report in Kathmandu Post stated a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday instructed the Ministry of Education not to circulate the printed copies of the textbook as there were some reservations from the Ministry of Land Management and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“The Ministry of Education does not have the authority to change Nepal’s geographical area and there are faults in the book,” as per Janak Raj Joshi the spokesperson for the Ministry of Land Reform and Cooperatives.
India has already termed as “untenable” the “artificial enlargement” of the territorial claims by Nepal after its Parliament unanimously approved the new political map of the country.
Meanwhile, Vinay M Kwatra Indian Ambassador to Nepal and Sushil Gyewali, CEO of National Reconstruction Authority, on Tuesday through a video conference jointly launched the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) project website on post-earthquake reconstruction initiatives in the education sector.
According to an official statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Nepal, “The website, available in both English and Nepali versions, is a one-stop, user-friendly window for all information related to education projects under GOI-assisted post-earthquake reconstruction initiatives. The website is accessible at www.goicbrinepal.com.”
India remains committed to continuing supporting the socio-economic development of Nepal, including through post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Nepal, the Indian Embassy added.
(Venkatesh Iyer)